


Loose Threads

by BubbleBtch



Series: Belief and Strings [1]
Category: Hollow Knight (Video Games)
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2020-12-10
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:41:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27999915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BubbleBtch/pseuds/BubbleBtch
Summary: A collection of missing scenes, explanations, behind the scenes interactions, and straight up AUs of Hoops, Strings and other Placebo's.
Series: Belief and Strings [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2050776
Comments: 30
Kudos: 134





	Loose Threads

**Author's Note:**

> I was tired this week, and so instead of a chapter on the main story, i give you this!  
> Please send in requests and suggestions.

“Ohh! You really do have a sword!”

“Oh, My Wyrm!”

“Eeeeeee!”

The group of chirping girls all surrounded the one boy brandishing his dull sword in the middle. They had all snuck put of the village to see the sword that he had proclaimed that he had found.

The one other boy to the side scoffed. He had been so sure that it was just going to be a piece of broken metal or a shed claw.

He wouldn’t have encouraged everyone to come if it had really been a sword. Now instead of being caught out in a lie, Toun had become the most popular boy in the village.

And instead of having all of the girls ignore him, Toun had them crowding around him and tickling his antenna’s with complements. His shell was nearly shining with how proud of himself he was, as if finding this old piece of metal had proven something.

Even if it was a really cool sword.

“With that I bet you could slay all types of beasts!”

At those words, Slone couldn’t keep his mouth shut anymore, “Slay a beast? Toun? Puh-leeze! He’d just run away from it! He might have found a sword but that doesn’t mean he knows how to use it! Even if he did have the shell to use it, he’d definitely just end up hurting himself flailing around.”

At Slone’s harsh words the girls all stopped cooing at Toun and turned their little angry eyes at Slone. They all stood in line between the boys, as if acting as a wall to protect the boy behind them.

The tallest of them all folded her arms and stared down at Slone.

Velm had molted before all of them, and she had almost reached her adult height, and she loved to use it to force her authority, acting like it was her job to keep them all in line.

And she was actually very good at it.

“That’s mean to say Slone. Are you trying to say that you would do any better against something that crawled out of the caverns? Bare handed?”

Slone’s antenna’s laid back, but he wasn’t about to stand down. “Of course, I wouldn’t, but putting a hand in my sword in my hand sure wouldn’t save me. Only strong guards and knights are really able to use swords. Someone like Toun can’t just pick one up and proclaim himself strong!”

Slone took a step or two to the side in order to look Toun in the eye, doing his best to put a mean look on his face.

“Do you know what crawls around in these tunnels? Mawlurks with mouths so big they could swallow a bug without even brushing their teeth against their shell. Belfly’s that would sooner kill with their own bodies then to let a bug walk under their perch.”

Slone took a step closer to the smaller bug. His pretty eyes widening in fear at Slone’s words. His delicate little hands gripping the sword in his hands tighter as Slone stood as tall as he could to hover over the pretty boy.

Slone shook himself a little, trying to get back on track and not get distracted by how cute the other boy was. “My brother works in the pipes below the city of tears, and you know what he told me? That there are disgusting beasts that thrive in the watery pipes. Loud slapping creatures that can shout and scream as they run toward you. They’re called Flukemon. They don’t have eyes or antenna but they have mouths that they’ll use to eat anything. Their bodies are pink and white, and soft to the touch, so if you swung your blunt little sword at them you might manage to get one good hit in. You might even manage to cut it in half if you tried hard enough. But then both halves would grow teeth and get back up to get their revenge.”

Slone was so close to Toun now, he could have wrapped their antenna’s together if he wanted to. But Toun’s were laid back in fear, and Slone was not going to do that. Nope. Why would he want to touch antennas with the pretest bug in the whole village?

Ha, ha.

Anyway.

“A scardy bug like you would fog the whole place with fear before getting saved by someone stronger. Don’t pretend that carrying a dull piece of metal makes you brave!” Slone took a step back, needing to put a little space between them.

Slone could see the way that the girls were gearing themselves up to shout him down and protect their precious pretty boy. He braced himself for an argument for the ages.

And in the lull of silence before the yelling started there came a loud wet SLAP!

The entire group froze.

They had all snuck out into the tunnels near the edge of the blue lake. A place that they weren’t allowed to go. A place that their parents had warned them about.

A place that their parents had made up stories about to keep them away. All sorts of tales about creatures swimming up from the depths to snatch little bugs away as snacks. Of the water rising and washing away the curious children that got too close to the shore. Of the various monsters from the tunnels making their way out of the maze that was the inside of the sewers and hunting around the edges of the lake.

That last one had always almost sounded true, and as the wet ‘slap, slap, slap,’ noise got closer their minds all spun toward the words that Slone had just said.

About the loud wet slapping creatures from the sewers.

The group as one all turned toward the sound, and there, coming out of the darkness from where the blue lake was, was a fat pale shape. As it got closer they could see the water drip off of its body and could see the splashes of pink amongst the white.

It stood taller than all of them and had some dark raggedy water-logged cloth on its head. It’s body bulged oddly and it didn’t appear to have any arms. It was walking toward them oddly, a strange and careful shuffle as if it didn’t have any eyes and couldn’t see them in the dark.

“Hello-?”

“ **AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH**!!!”

The little group of young bugs all screamed at the first sound that came out of the creature.

Slone felt something push him to the side and then he saw the back of Toun. The fool hardy bug had rushed to the front of the group and placed himself between the Flukemon and the rest of them. He was standing with his back to the group and the sword thrust out to the creature.

“STAY BACK YOU UGLY MONSTER! I’LL SLAY YOU!”

Toun waved the sword at the creature and instead of rushing toward the scared children, it made a noise like a shriek and ran away into another dark tunnel away from them.

The group stayed frozen for a few moments, the girls all clustered together and Toun standing directly in front of Slone, still holding the sword aloft with all of the strength in his shaking shell.

Slone felt as though their shell was a size too small for their insides, and as if they were about to burst open with warm fuzzy feelings all over Toun’s back.

Toun looked over his shoulder back and Slone. And when Slone looked into the prettiest eyes of the whole village, at the boy who threw himself between him and a monster . . . ?

Well, it’s safe to say that Toun was going to get a boyfriend whether he was prepared for one or not. 


End file.
